Ta’liyah Baldwin is 5 years old. She has been battling inoperable brain cancer since November 2017.

She is under the care of the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Her treatment limited to chemotherapy. The treatment leaves her lethargic and causes her to have trouble walking.

Little children often have a specific thing to which they become attached. In Ta’liyah’s case, it is mermaids. Her mother says she constantly talks about them.

Her mother contacted the Make-A-Wish Foundation re a mermaid experience for Ta’liyah. The Foundation came through.

Last saturday, the Foundation sent Ta’liyah and her family to the Boca Beach Club in Boca Raton. Two women dressed as mermaids greeted them and played with Ta’liyah all day. A pair of custom fitted fins had been prepared for Ta’liyah. She was able to splash around the pool all day. Her Mom reported Ta’liyah had “the time of her life.”

Some will say God is good because Ta’liyah is receiving the best medical care and enjoyed the special mermaid experience. I ask if God is good, why did Ta’liyah get an inoperable brain tumor in the first place?

The question has perplexed me my entire adult life. Every time a major disaster affected someone I knew or became aware of.

Forget the answers of the Church and theologians. They are not responsive to “why” bad things happen, especially to a young and good person like Ta’liyah.

Sloan and I worked together for 2 hours yesterday. I have a mechanical dependency. I am not technologically adept. A generation thing. Sloan compensates and keeps me going.

Last night, the Chart Room. Missed Hot Dog Church and the Gardens. Got out too late. Went directly to the Chart Room.

John bartending. A good guy! An excellent bartender.

Local night initially. Chris and Don. We chatted a while before they left for dinner. Jean and Joe there, also. Love them! My saviors when Irma hit. Hopefully, I will be with them tonight at 8 when Alabama and Clemson play. Jean and Joe both Alabama grads. Fanatical.

I have been a steady customer at the Chart Room more than 15 years. Four to five evenings a week. The number of people I have met definitely in the hundreds. Probably exceeds a 1,000. Perhaps more.

I enjoy chatting and engaging with locals and visitors. I consider the Chart Room the cross roads of not only the U.S., but also the world.

We chat about everything. Including politics. The discussions always cordial. Even where we might not agree.

Last night, I met 2 individuals who can only be described as assholes. The issues not political.

Three from Detroit. Two young ladies and a man probably in his mid to late 30’s. First time Key West visitors.

He got into Irma. How bad could it have been? Saw nothing bad. No building damage. Trees all up.

His tone decidedly offensive. The know it all type.

Even after I explained that Irma was more than a year ago and the community had recovered, he still did not understand. I let the issue go and turned to an elderly gentleman seated on my other side.

He was even worse.

From Tampa. He had been listening to my previous talk with Detroit. His first words to me, before any other utterances, was to the effect that the people of Mexico Beach City were suffering because most failed to have insurance.

Michael leveled Mexico Beach City. Located in the Panhandle, took a direct hit at 155 mph. A small community. Working class people. No elaborate beachfront homes. By the time Michael left, very few homes were standing.

People in the Panhandle region have been complaining. Places like Panama City and Mexico Beach City. They feel they have been “forgotten.” They have. The federal government is failing to provide necessary assistance. Most persons eating off the back of food trucks. Their homes gone. Live in tent cities and shacks built from lumber left on the ground. Water and sewage remain major problems.

I did not interact with the man. Impossible to argue with a person who is convinced Mexico City Beach people are suffering because they failed to have insurance.

Stopped at Publix on the way home. An Atkins sale. My breakfast every morning is a small bottle of an Atkins chocolate drink. Contains 15 grams of protein and only 3 of carbohydrates. Bought 16 bottles.

The Duval Street cosmetic shops have been a problem for at least 2 years. Price gougers. Especially of elderly visitors to Key West.

The City of Key West is finally doing something about it. New regulations which will make it illegal to do some of the things the shops have been engaged in while ripping people off.

The first reading of the proposed law passed 5-1. The dissenting vote was by Commissioner Sam Kaufman.

The shops are owned by Israelis. He felt the new law might be viewed as anti-Semitic.

His vote does not make sense to me. True, anti-Semitism is on the rise world wide and in the United States. However, I have not sensed it in Key West. We have enough problems on our plate. No room for anti-Semitism nor should it even be made an issue.

As previously mentioned, Michael knocked the hell out of the Panhandle. Michael considered the third strongest hurricane to hit the United States in recorded history.

Tim West and his 13 year old daughter traveled to Panama City with food and supplies for a family friend. The friend’s home gone, mold all over, no water and sewer.

Tim and his daughter noticed there were many tree stumps. Most of the trees had snapped, leaving only the trunk portion.

They took yellow paint and painted happy faces on some of the stumps. Brought smiles to many faces. They somehow got more yellow paint and continued to paint happy faces on tree stumps all over Panama City.

Tim West and daughter good people!

Today an important one in U.S. history. On this day in 1789, George Washington was elected the first President of the United States.

Not as we do it today, however.

Washington’s election was not by the popular vote of the people. Ordinary citizens were not to be trusted. It was believed men of wealth should control Presidential elections.

The system at the time required voters to cast ballots to elect “state legislators.” The legislators then cast their vote for President.

The right to vote carried 2 requirements. Only men could vote and the men who voted had to own property.

We have come a long way re voting. Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go.

Impeachment continues to be in the air. Today of historical significance re Presidential impeachment.

On this day in 1999, the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton began. Before the U.S. Senate. The Constitution then and now required the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to preside over the trial and the Senate to sit as jurors.

Christmas has passed. Its aura remains, however.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer the topic.

The 1824 ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas mentioned Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. No Rudolph.

Rudolph the most famous reindeer of all did not arrive on the public scene till 1947. And then only as a coloring book. Soon followed by a story book. Montgomery Ward responsible. The Company wanted something Christmasy for kids.

The song not even written in 1947. No song till 2 years later.

In 1947, my boyhood western hero was Gene Autry. The original Singing Cowboy. He had become a radio legend. He recorded the new Rudolph song.

An instantaneous hit! Sales hit 2.5 million the first year. The song became the most successful Christmas recording in history after White Christmas. Remained so until the 1980’s.

Enjoy your day!

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6 comments on “GOD IS GOOD”

Lou, I believe the people chose “electors” who then chose Washington. Sadly, the method of choosing “electors” continues today….this is such an outmoded practice and should be abandoned in favor of popular vote count !!!!!

All four former living Presidents have now come out publicly and said they do not support the border wall and publicly contradict they EVER told Donald Trump otherwise. Why does our president lie like that?

Why not, after all , it made him rich and then got him elected to the highest office. The sad part is nearly everyone was aware just how low standard an individual he is and it did not matter. That is the real problem today in American politics.